Ohio detective arrested for OVI had worked part-time as Put-in-Bay cop

The police detective from the Cleveland area who was arrested after being found intoxicated and passed out in his vehicle had worked part-time as an officer in the Put-in-Bay Police Department, officials said.
Wochit

In December 2017, East Cleveland Police detective Joseph Marche was found intoxicated in his vehicle by local officers in Bratenahl, a small village east of Cleveland.(Photo: Village of Bratenahl Police Department)

PUT-IN-BAY - The police detective from the Cleveland area who was arrested after being found intoxicated and passed out in his vehicle had worked part-time as an officer in the Put-in-Bay Police Department, officials said.

Video recently surfaced of Joseph Marche being arrested last December by local officers in Bratenahl, a small village east of Cleveland, for operating a vehicle under the influence.

The incident came to light after a concerned citizen made a records request related to another issue in July, according to News 5 in Cleveland, which first reported on Marche's arrest last week.

Put-in-Bay Police Chief Steve Riddle told the News Herald on Wednesday that Marche had worked part-time for the department during the summer when the Lake Erie island draws tens of thousands of tourists.

“It was just an extra hand on the busy weekends,” Riddle said. “With as many officers as we had, he kind of just blended in. He did a good job for us, but I don’t know him personally.”

Riddle said he was not aware of Marche’s prior arrest when he was hired for the Put-in-Bay job.

“There’s no doubt in my mind we would not have brought him on to our team if we’d known about the situation due to the fact that we don’t need any more negative publicity about our department,” Riddle said.

According to the incident report from the Village of Bratenahl Police Department, officers found Marche with his eyes closed apparently sleeping in the driver’s seat of a white Toyota SUV, which had a strong odor of alcohol coming through the closed window and door.

Officers knocked on the window to wake Marche, who upon coming to pressed the vehicle’s accelerator, causing the engine to rev as the car was running, but not in gear.

Marche ignored multiple commands from the officers to stop and open the window. According to the report, Marche then attempted to shift the car out of park and the officers attempted to force entry.

The officers broke through multiple windows, unlocked the vehicle’s doors and removed Marche from the driver’s seat. Officers reported finding a Glock 19 handgun in a holster on Marche’s hip.

According to the report, they also detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from Marche, who had trouble maintaining his balance, was slurring his speech, and had eyes that were bloodshot and glassy.

The SUV reportedly belonged to the City of East Cleveland. Marche was cited for slow speed, impeding flow, and operating a vehicle under the influence. He was later released to the care of two East Cleveland Police officers.

According to News 5, East Cleveland Police Commander Scott Gardner said Marche was convicted of OVI in Bratenahl court and was given a 30-day suspension without pay.